The History Detectives Explore Lincoln's Letter, Parker's Sax, and Mark Twain's Watch And Many More Mysteries of America's Past

by Karg, Barb

• ISBN13: 9780470190630
• ISBN10: 0470190639
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-07-08
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Explore the secrets of America's past with the official companion to PBS's History Detectives Could a Civil War POW have fashioned a working camera from a tin can, a spyglass lens, and a pine plank? What can an ancient and battered banjo reveal about America's musical and segregated past? How could a man save his own life by proving that he had forged a painting? These are just a few of the intriguing and puzzling questions posed to super sleuths Wes Cowan, Elyse Luray, Gwendolyn Wright, and Tukufu Zuberi in this fascinating book. The perfect companion to the hit public television series, including an episode guide, this book is filled with intriguing case files, pictures, how-to's, and checklists that bring mysteries to life and give you the practical advice and tips you need to solve your own historical puzzles. From genealogical research to patent and property searches to DNA analysis and more, it gives you the lowdown on all of the high-tech tools that can help get to the bottom of a case. Packed with fun and useful information for the whole family, it will deepen your appreciation for the way in which seemingly ordinary objects can connect you to important people and events from the past and give you the know-how to do some history detecting of your own.

Author Biography

Barb Karg is a journalist, graphic designer, layout artist, and screenwriter, and the author or coauthor of twenty-two books, including several in the bestselling Everything series.

History Detectives is produced for PBS by Oregon Public Broadcasting and Lion Television.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
Snapshots in Time	p. 1
The Haunting Portraits in the Attic
The Puzzle in the Painting
Time and Tide
Entertainment in the Shadows	p. 18
The Tale of the Ventriloquist's Dummy
The Curious Case of the Broken Banjo
The Bird Saxophone Mystery
Life Imitates Art	p. 32
The Dilemma of the Dubious Drawing
Bait and Switch
A Manhattan Murder Mystery
One-Man Army
An Uncivil War	p. 48
The Riddle of the Old GAR Photo
Technical Wonders of the Civil War
Missing Links
Hide and Go Seek
Vestiges of War
If Walls Could Talk	p. 64
The Case of the Distinctive Domicile
The Conundrum of the Cold War Kitchen
The Curious Concrete Creation
The Pavilion Palace
American Icons	p. 81
Voices of War
The Message in the Masterpiece
The Tip in the Timepiece
The Man of Steel Mystery
Child's Play	p. 99
The Ballet Slipper Mystery
The Call of the Wild
Fun and Games
Whispers in the Mist	p. 117
The Case of the Calf Creek Skull
Place and Time
The Kennewick Controversy
The Bog People
The Ghost in the Glass
Jurassic Fever
Dollars and Sense	p. 137
Money Matters
The Curse of the Deceptive Dollar
Not Fit to Print
An Inconvenient Adversary
The Case of the Peculiar Pesos
Let Freedom Ring	p. 154
The War of Independence
The Mystery in the Muck
The Adventure of the Absconded Artillery
The Legend of the Row Galley Trumpet
Flying High
Family Ties	p. 175
The Mystery of the Unwed Mother
Kindred Spirits
The Quest for Equality	p. 194
The Secret of John Brown's Letters
The Haunting Paintings of the Calamitous Camp
The Peculiar Deed of Groote Manuel
Armed and Dangerous	p. 212
The Deadly Downfall of Bonnie and Clyde
The Case of the Contentious Colt
The Robin Hood Syndrome
The Treasure Trove	p. 230
The Quest for the Sunken Silver
Maritime Archaeology
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
The Golden Steamer Mystery
That's Entertainment!	p. 250
The Clue in the Camera
The Pivotal Tale of the Black Maria
The Devil Dog Dawson Mystery
Skeletons in the Closet	p. 266
The Secret in the Cellar
Bone Detectives
The Quartz Cross Controversy
Flight, Fright, and Perilous Plights	p. 282
The Riddle of the Historic Hog
Hog Heaven
Mysteries of the Coldest War
The Brash Billionaire Debacle
An Unfathomable Mystery
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered	p. 302
The Riddle of the Ten-Shilling Note
The Legend of the Strikeout King
The Write Stuff
Dubious Dwellings	p. 318
The Curse of the Wicked Witch
Waterworld
The Abraham Lincoln Mysteries
A View to a Kill
World at War	p. 339
Trouble at Sea
The Kaleidoscope of War
Episode Guide	p. 359
Photography Credits	p. 374
Index	p. 378
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